Nature Center Director, Tracy Aviary's Jordan River Nature Center

Tracy Aviary is seeking a Nature Center Director to oversee operations at our second campus. The Nature Center Director is a full-time position that will report directly to the President/CEO and becomes a member of the senior leadership team. The Nature Center Director will ensure the nature center is open 7 days per week throughout the year, delivering impactful programs that make a community and environmental impact. 

Description 

The Nature Center Director will collaborate with a variety of stakeholders including staff, volunteers, partners and community members to co-develop a wide range of programs, build community and help steward land that serves as habitat for birds, insects, plants and other organisms. The Nature Center Director will have a lot of tools to work with, and more opportunities to engage with than capacity. As a result, the Nature Center Director will need to help identify the efforts to get involved with, the extent to which various stakeholders are engaged, and the steps needed to make the work successful. 

General Responsibilities: 

• Collaborate with other senior staff, volunteers and partners to co-develop and co-deliver programs 7 days per week year-round, helping us achieve strategic goals and objectives.
• Represent Tracy Aviary and The Jordan River Nature Center in the community, with partners, and other stakeholders.
• Serve as a mentor, motivator and role model as circumstances require to help others meet goals and achieve success.
• Be an enthusiastic learner and make suggestions to remove impediment to program success based on learned knowledge.
• Communicate and coordinate with a variety of stakeholders.

Required Qualifications: 

Studies have shown that women, non-binary folks, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are much less likely to apply for a position unless they feel they meet every qualification as described. We are committed to finding the best overall candidate and welcome candidates who may come from less traditional backgrounds. Please think about the breadth of your life experience when considering the following list of qualifications:

• Community minded and mission-focused individual with experience working with diverse groups that have a variety of wants and needs; 
• Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to communicate with a variety of audiences;
• Ability to take initiative and produce results; 
• Experience in helping others succeed and accomplish goals in a timely manner; 
• Ability to work on diverse teams and with a diverse range of people; 
• Up-to-date computer skills and capacity to learn new systems; 
• An onsite presence is required;
• Bilingual (ideally English and Spanish) is a highly preferred; and
• While not necessary, experience with community engagement, education, conservation, and/or environmental justice will be an asset.

Compensation and Benefits: 

• $65,000 – if experience merits higher compensation, that is negotiable.
• Competitive benefits include paid time off and holidays, group health insurance plan, and a retirement plan with company match.
• Opportunity to work with dedicated, passionate, and creative staff at an organization that is financially healthy, well-loved, generously supported by the community, and recognized for excellence. 

How to apply:

To apply, submit the following to [email protected] 

• Cover letter that includes:

1. Explanation of what excites you about this position;
2. Description of an experience in which you helped a diverse group achieve success; and
3. Be sure to address to include professional and personal experience, that is relevant to this position. 

• Explain why one of Tracy Aviary’s values (listed below) resonates with you (1 page limit).
• Resume

Timeline: Position will be open until filled. Resumes and cover letter reviews will begin by April 27, 2022. Initial screening is anticipated to begin May 4, 2022. Calls for interviews will occur by May 11, 2022. The first round of interviews will be scheduled for the week of May 16, 2022. Our goal is to make a final decision by Monday, June 10, 2022. 

Mission of Tracy Aviary 

The mission of Tracy Aviary is to inspire curiosity and caring for birds and nature through education and conservation. 

Our Vision

Tracy Aviary creates a passionate, environmentally literate public dedicated to conserving birds and habitats everywhere.   

Our Values

Excellence in Animal Welfare: Tracy Aviary will provide the highest standards of animal welfare for our avian residents through excellence in husbandry and implementation of the most progressive behavioral management programs. We are committed to participation in population sustainability programs as recommended by individual Species Survival Plan® and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 

Provide Fantastic Guest Experiences: Tracy Aviary will provide each of our guests with a fantastic experience that is respectful and culturally and linguistically responsive.  We are committed to listening to our guests in the effort to improve their experiences. 

Education that Transforms and Inspires: Tracy Aviary will provide experiences that represent and celebrate the many perspectives, values, beliefs, worldviews, and languages that exist in our community. Our educational programming will educate, raise awareness, and inspire the public to adopt conservation practices into their daily lives. Our aspiration is to develop conservation leadership among people of all backgrounds as they take the next step on their conservation journey. 

Conservation: Tracy Aviary will work to support bird species and the habitats upon which they depend by engaging conservation partners and training citizen scientists from all walks of life.  We will prioritize sustainable practices on our grounds and encourage our guests to do the same. 

Community: Tracy Aviary will serve as a welcoming gathering place for the conservation community and as a good neighborhood partner that makes inclusive and equitable opportunities accessible to all diverse members of our community.  

Tracy Aviary Justice, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Statement

At Tracy Aviary, we value the beauty and diversity of birds and nature.  

In the same spirit, we are committed to providing a safe haven for people in all their diversity to engage, learn, and connect with nature at our facilities and through our programs. 

We strive to be increasingly respectful and responsive to this broad diversity of people and partner with the community to co-create opportunities to connect with nature and each other.   

We see diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and justice as requisites for institutional excellence. We aim to create an environment in which staff can bring their whole selves and are supported through mentoring, growth opportunities, and recognition of their value as part of our organization. 

It is our aspiration that our staff, partners, and volunteers embrace our core values and that we extend these values to our guests and community. 

*By diversity we mean the quality of being different or unique at the individual or group level. This definition encompasses all people including but not limited to people of different ages, languages, ethnicities, gender identities, nationalities, immigration status, parental status, abilities, learning styles, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio economic status, education, and more.
 

About Tracy Aviary 

Tracy Aviary is committed to inspiring curiosity and caring for birds and nature through education and conservation. As the largest and oldest of only two free-standing aviaries in the nation and accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Tracy Aviary has grown and evolved over our more than 80-year history to become a cultural landmark, public garden, and leader in environmental education and conservation. 

About Tracy Aviary’s Jordan River Nature Center

Phase I of Tracy Aviary’s Jordan River Nature Center opened in 2020 as a second campus to complement Tracy Aviary. We are now embarking on a $7M Phase II of the Jordan River Nature Center, which will add several amenities. Our vision is to ultimately build a 12 acre, $35M campus.

Our two locations will share one mission: to inspire curiosity and caring for birds and nature through conservation and education. The Jordan River Nature Center is located in an under-served community and adjacent to a homeless resource center. We are motivated to make a positive community and environmental impact through our work and that of our partners and neighbors. 

The Jordan River Nature Center allows us to meet people in the heart of their neighborhoods and near the banks of the Jordan River, an important urban wildlife habitat and recreational hub. Construction of Phase 2 will begin in the Summer 2022.